Dirt Cheap Madrid

While Madrid is one of the most amazing cities on the planet, like any place, it has its flaws. Check out the tips below and don’t fall into the same traps as other tourists. Then you can point at them and laugh, as you stealthily escape every kind of potentially adverse situation unscathed.

1. Don’t eat or drink on any of the terraces in Plaza Mayor.

When you’re taking in the very lovely Plaza Mayor, you might feel thirsty. You may feel peckish. You may be tempted to order tapas or a beer on one of the many terraces lining the plaza. Resist the urge! The prices are inflated to no end, and they would charge you for breathing if they could. A coffee for an arm and a leg? Paella in exchange for your first born? It’s the perfect place to practice your “No, gracias”!

2. Do not go to Madrid’s Amusement Park and/or Warner Brother’s Park

Thrill-seeker are ya? Looking for the rush of the wind in your hair and a roller coaster throwing you upside down at record speeds? Go to Six Flags when you get home. Madrid still has lots to learn when it comes to amusement parks, and these options are not only disappointing, they’re fantastically overpriced.

3. Do not be drunk and loud in Lavapiés late at night (during the day is probably fine though)

Don’t get me wrong: Lavapiés is a great neighborhood. It’s home to the bohemian movement, countless great bars, and has better Indian food than you can get in India. And it’s not that its dangerous per se (because really, you should always be kind of wary when you’re in a foreign country), it’s just that Lavapiés has a reputation for maybe not being the safest place. It’s not the kind of place you should be wandering around late at night, being wasted and loud, so put a lid on it until you get back to your hostel.

4. Don’t tip
 
You are not, I repeat, NOT expected to tip in Spain as you would in the US. There is no “15 to 20%” on your bill. Embrace it! It is customary to leave/give some spare change, a few 10 cent coins at most, in restaurants/to taxi drivers. If you’ve really enjoyed the service, or someone has been particularly great, you can give him or her more, but the maximum would be a euro, and even that might be considered excessive.

5. Don’t get robbed

I’ll venture a guess here: you didn’t come to Madrid to spend your vacation at the police station, so be careful with your belongings. Thieves operate seamlessly, oh, pretty much everywhere and, of course, they strike when you least expect it. If you’re in a crowd­–on the metro, at the Rastro, in Sol–be aware of your wallet/phone/passport at all times. If you are robbed, report it to the nearest police officer or head to a police station (Calle Montera 16, Metro Sol, L1, L2, L3 or Calle Leganitos 10, Metro Santo Domingo, L2, Metro Plaza de España, L3, L10,).

Visiting European cities on a tight budget? Check out our other dirt cheap guides!

Amsterdam budget travel guide.
Barcelona budget travel guide.
Berlin budget travel guide.
Birmingham budget travel guide.
Copenhagen budget travel guide.
Istanbul budget travel guide.
London budget travel guide.
Rome budget travel guide.
Vienna budget travel guide.